Hundreds have been detained in New Delhi during a protest by opposition outfits demanding the resignation of India’s election chief over alleged voter-related irregularities. Visuals showed senior AAP leader and former chief minister Atishi being dragged by police.
The demands for Chief Minister Gyanesh Kumar’s removal grew louder after the Indian Express reported last month that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected repeatedly to several decisions taken by the EC. “Everyone here is Gandhi. Gandhi never dies,” he added.
Speaking at the rally that coincided with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said there could be no greater tribute to the father of the nation.
The AAP, Congress, and Left outfit members were among those who participated in the protest at Jantar Mantar. The police had denied permission for the protest and imposed restrictions across the New Delhi district, citing public safety. “The whole of Delhi has been turned into a fortress right now, as if Mahmud of Ghazni is about to launch an attack. They carried the national flag and placards calling for Kumar’s resignation. Celebrities like Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, and Vishal Dadlani were also present, besides Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
The report revived the opposition’s ‘vote theft’ charges, but the EC denied any wrongdoing in the SIR process and said “differing views” were normal among the election commissioners. But I want to tell our young companions that I have reached here all alone, without a car, without a horse and without any companion,” he said. In response, the BJP staged a counter-protest in the Fort area, with state minister Ashish Shelar calling the CJP agitation a “grammar of anarchy”.
